The former prime minister threw his weight behind Emmanuel Macron as he rallied to lead a united front against Marine Le Pen.

Ms Le Pen, the leader of the Front National, will go head to head in the second round on Sunday May 7 after securing 21.4 per cent of the votes against Mr Macron’s 23.9 per cent, with 96 per cent of votes counted.

Mr Fillon said: “The National Front, the party created by Jean-Marie Le Pen, has a history known for its violence, its intolerance.

Mr Macron, a pro-EU former finance minister, has support from Berlin and Brussels

The 39-year-old, a pro-EU ex-banker and former economy minister who founded his own party only a year ago, also has support from Berlin and Brussels.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel's spokesman hailed Mr Macron's success, tweeting: "Good that @EmmanuelMacron succeeded with his policy for a strong EU and social market economy. Wishing him all the best for the next two weeks."

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker expressed similar good wishes for the second round, his spokesman said in Brussels.

Things you didn't know about Marine Le Pen

Fri, May 5, 2017

Marine Le Pen is a French politician who is the president of the National Front, a national-conservative political party in France and one of its main political forces.